A math problem: If you have three classes, each with 12 to 13 students and one faculty member, that must travel to and from Salem once per week for 10 weeks, what’s the best way to move them?
For Deanna Chappell, the answer is the University of Oregon’s new motor pool.
Chappell is coordinator of the UO Prison Education Program, which brings students together with incarcerated men and women to study as peers in a seminar behind prison walls. She’s found renting vehicles through the motor pool reliable and easy for the program’s weekly trips to and from the Oregon State Penitentiary and the Oregon State Correctional Institution.
“If somebody’s car breaks down, if we don’t show up at the time we’re expected to show up at the prison, we don’t go in,” Chappell said. “The motor pool is reliable — both the vehicles and the service.”
The UO launched a motor pool July 1, ending a long partnership with Oregon State University and providing UO users with 41 new sedans, vans and trucks to rent.
Reservations can be made online through the UO’s new reservation system, FleetCommander. All UO users visiting the reservation system for the first time will login by clicking the login link, which automatically recognizes UO personnel through the Banner records system.
“The user-friendly portal provides information on vehicle availability, rates, billing, highway cameras and more,” said Bryne Hagstrom, motor pool manager.
With a fleet of hybrid sedans and minivans, plus SUVs, vans and trucks, the motor pool makes it easy for UO travelers to find a vehicle that fits their needs, Hagstrom said.
Frequent motor pool users include academic departments, researchers, club sports programs, student groups and event organizers. With trips ranging from a single day to several months, and destinations that span both city streets and remote field sites, the service offers flexibility to meet a wide variety of travel needs, according to Hagstrom.
For UO employees who need to travel for university business, the motor pool offers a convenient and affordable alternative to using a personal vehicle. While mileage reimbursement for personal car use can add up quickly, renting through the motor pool typically costs departments less overall, Hagstrom said.
“We have found that for local travel, using a UO motor pool sedan can significantly reduce costs for departments compared to reimbursing personal vehicle mileage for the same trips,” Hagstrom said.
“Departments are billed directly, which makes the process simple and saves time,” he added. “Fuel costs are included in the rental rate, so travelers don’t have to worry about additional expenses along the way.”
—Matt Cooper, University Communications